Did drugs play role in shootings?

The senseless shootings of 20 children and 6 female staff at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn., has dominated the thoughts and conversations of so many people recently, and rightly so. Gun control, mental health, violence in video games and movies, and the lack of God in public schools are just some of the timely topics of discussion.

As soon as this news started to in settle in for me I immediately wondered the same thing I always wonder when someone goes on a mass shooting spree. What psychological medications was this person taking? They always seem to be on some potent pharmaceutical product. The link is there and it’s getting more and more apparent, as well as more and more deadly.

Until toxicology reports are completed, and until the police have sought out and located any medical professionals who are documented to have treated this young man we can only speculate.

I do feel confident it will be discovered that this young man was currently, or had taken psychological medications in his lifetime. Due to the fact he is said to have had Aspergers’ syndrome and his brother allegedly told the police he also had a “personality disorder.” The shooter has more than likely been seen by a psychiatrist and that means one thing — meds have been prescribed.

Our children are experiencing unprecedented rates of “problems.” Autism (Aspergers is on the autism spectrum) is a neurological condition said to effect 1 in 88 children today. A once rare condition is now so commonplace, it’s practically become the new normal. Learning and behavioral problems are also common place. Here’s just a few relatively new psychiatric “labels” — oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), ADHD, Bipolar disorder, OCD, and social anxiety disorder are all psychiatric invented disorders. Absolutely no medical tests exist to prove such conditions are actually present in someone. I do not dispute the troubles are real, it is the way in which we address them is my issue.

Why are our kids so sick? And how are we addressing their illnesses beyond going to the doctor for a prescription and sticking pills in their mouths? And what are these pills doing that have rarely been tested on children, if at all? And if at all, for such short periods of time that we couldn’t possibly understand long term effects.

Using psych meds with children, teens, and young adults needs to become part of our conversations. Is this safe?

Comments

To answer your question, No. Drugs did not kill those poor children, bullets from a high capacity magazine and an automatic weapon killed those children. The shooter's mental health, or lack thereof, played a role. "They always seem to be on some potent pharmaceutical product." Well, Sherlock, people who have issues are often put on pharmaceuticals. The problem is preventing those types of people, who are unstable, who have paranoid thoughts, who live in a fantasy world, who see enemies and conspiracies everywhere....hey, wait a minute...I'm describing the very type of person who would want to own an AR-15 and high capacity magazines!!! Silly me!Well, I'm not just about pointing fingers; I have a solution. Here is the wording of the Second Ammendment: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Well, since gun owners and NRA members are first and foremost "patriots" and love the Bill of Rights, they will become part of our country's "well regulated militia". Anyone who owns more than two hunting rifles or two handguns will report to their State National Guard to register for the Militia, which will be an arm of the National Guard. They will register ALL of their guns and ammunition, none of which will be confiscated. But, in order to be "well-regulated" this registration is necessary so that the commanders of the Militia will know, for logistics purposes, how much firepower would be at their disposal in the event of a national or international emergency. Now the NRA and gun owners should be happy with their new roles as protectors. They all fantasize this anyway. Of course as part of the well-regulated militia they will have to submit to personality tests, just like any soldier and if they pass they get to wear a ribbon!! However, if they don't, we take their guns away permanently. Also, they will have to train with the Guard at least two weeks a year on their own time. That shouldn't make anyone unhappy since gun-owners are so patriotic! Imagine actually following the Second Amendment, instead of bending its meaning into whatever shape can make a shield for crazies.

That boy has had multiple diagnoses and has been given gobs of pills to take and he is not getting better.

Many parents have come forward to say their children are also like "Michael". Their children are violent, out of control and all have been given medications that eventually make their situations no better or even worse.

I have read one other article similar to this one I am posting below. A success story. Seems pills don't work and labels aren't very helpful. True mental health will take hard intensive work. Specialized programs. Removal of potent drugs. A few kids might be lucky enough to get this kind of intensive intervention. Most probably won't, sadly.

An excerpt:

Virtually by accident, Harper stumbled on a different path for her son. “Money was missing from our home. I called school officials to check Michael’s backpack and they found a knife. My son told me later that he has been carrying the knife around for a week and I also learned he had told others he planned to kill his father and me.”

“This was the last straw. I thought what if Michael had found a gun. Through the internet, I found an all boys boarding school in Missouri. It used different interventions, such as military organization skills, constant therapy with psychiatrists and staff and spiritual guidance. The school guarantees success without drugs. And amazingly Michael, now 14, has not taken drugs for six months, and he is no longer hearing voices, no longer acting belligerently. He is focused, goal-oriented and a happy kid.”

For the first time Harper has high expectations for her son, but she is angry over doctors prescribing Dexedrine for such a prolonged time at such an early age without looking at his biological or environmental conditions which could have led to different interventions. “We took Michael to church, banned his watching violent video games and movies, but we have been living on edge, waiting for the worse. Now we are waiting for the best.”